The San Francisco Giants open the season with a four-game road set against the San Diego Padres, and Blake Snell wants the ball.
Snell, who won the National League Cy Young Award for the Padres last season, recently agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants.
“We’ll throw a bullpen tomorrow and go from there,” the left-handed Snell said Wednesday at his first news conference as a member of the Giants.
NL Cy Young runner-up Logan Webb will start the opener against the Padres on March 28, but Snell is hoping his arm will be ready to start one of the other games in San Diego.
Snell will have an abbreviated spring training after his late signing due to a slow free-agent market when it came to his services.
“It took a long time, but we had a good plan and we were committed to it,” Snell said. “It’s tough, but now that I’m here, I’m focused on being here.”
Snell, 31, said he has been following his normal offseason plan and working out in Seattle, which is his hometown.
Snell went 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA last season while winning his second career Cy Young Award. He was the American League winner with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.
Though it took a while to make a deal, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was having discussions with Scott Boras, Snell’s agent, for months.
“We talked all offseason about adding to the top of our rotation,” Zaidi said. “We were really excited about the pitching we had already. We couldn’t be more excited as an organization. We know Blake’s ready to go.”
Snell has a 71-55 record and 3.20 ERA in 191 career starts with the Rays (2016-20) and Padres (2021-23). He is a two-time ERA champ — with the Rays (1.89) in 2018 and the Padres last season.
While there will be changes for Snell, the man in the dugout will be familiar. New Giants skipper Bob Melvin was Snell’s manager with the Padres the past two seasons.
“He lets you play,” Snell said. “And he holds you accountable.”
–Field Level Media